- Blog
- Profile
-
Oh No There’s an AI Clippy Now (and other stuff I wrote this week)
I regret to inform you that someone made an actual AI Clippy. The application, which is more art project than useful application, run an actual local large language model right on your computer, allowing you to have the conversations with Clippy you once dreamed about. It’s complete with Windows 98-style graphics for period accuracy. I highly…
-
The hardest thing I do every week (and how I do it)
I write a lot. I’ve finished just shy of 150 articles so far this year between Lifehacker, PopSci, WIRED, and PCMag, an average of 25 articles a month. I love it. The best part of being a freelancer, to me, is that I don’t have to do anything but write. Yes, there is a little…
-
Dishwashers are great and other stuff I wrote this week
I think dishwashers are great, so I wrote about the science of why you should use your dishwasher over at PopSci. It’s easier to do and better for the environment than hand washing. A point I want to emphasize is that study after study shows that pre-rinsing dishes isn’t necessary, assuming you scrape off excess food and…
-
Tech is making things easier—just not for you
“Technology makes everything more complicated,” an elderly relative said to me. It’s hard to argue with. In this specific situation she had paid to reserve a parking spot that, it turned out, she didn’t need. She tried to get a refund only to find out that’s not possible—all you can do is try to sell…
-
Mark Zuckerberg sees loneliness as a market opportunity
The internet used to be exciting—its potential to make the world better seemed endless. In the early 2010s it felt inevitable that innovation would make us happier, more productive, more connected, and all-around improve our lives. It doesn’t feel that way anymore. Some technologists blame the media for this. I’ve worked in the media too…
-
The End of Windows 10 is coming (and other stuff I wrote this week)
More people use Windows 10 than Windows 11, but later this year Windows 10 will stop getting security updates. What does that mean? I explained over at WIRED and outlined your options. In summary: you can upgrade, you can get a new computer, or you can switch to a different operating system. I also wrote a few articles…
-
Get Minesweeper back on your PC and other stuff I wrote this week
It’s been over a decade since Microsoft removed Minesweeper from Windows. If you don’t go a single day without thinking about this loss you might want to read How to get Minesweeper and seven other classic games back in Windows 11 over at Lifehacker. Here’s a few other things I published in the last week. Stuff to check…
-
You can use your laptop as a desktop computer
The more you learn about a subject the less capable you are of understanding what the average person knows about it. In journalism this can result in articles that are incomprehensible to anyone who doesn’t have the proper background. It can also result in information not being published because it seems too obvious. For example:…
-
Transcribing UFO letters to the government (and other stuff I wrote)
I had a lot of fun learning how to volunteer online for The National Archive. I spent a few hours transcribing letters by a man who wrote the government to talk about the UFO he saw, during which he emphasized many times that he was not drinking. Dive in next time you feel bored. Stuff you…
-
We buy too much crap anyway
If you want to understand America, spend some time in thrift stores. These are monuments to our collective excess—a museum of the things we’ve collected and discarded. I love digging through the electronics shelves looking for potentially useful adapters or devices. I also get most of my clothes from the racks there, mostly for environmental…